Bridge.



No. 782,215. PATENTED FEB. 14, 1905.

C. BRYANT.

BRIDGE.

APPLICATION FILED 0013,1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

1W (fiallwfilgianij Witnesses Inventor v PATENTED FEB. 14, 1905.

C. BRYANT.

BRIDGE.

APPLICATION FILED 0011.3, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Witnesses Httomegs No. 782,215. Patented February 14, 1905.

UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES BRYANT, OF LITTLETON, COLORADO.

BRlDGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 782,215, dated February14, 1905.

Application filed October 3,1904. Serial No. 226,991.

transverse sectional view taken on the line 3 3 in Fig. 2. Fig. at is aperspective detail view.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated by likecharacters of reference.

The chords O O, two of which enter into the construction of the improvedbridge as illustrated, are each made up of timbers spliced together,each including a central base-timber 1, having beveled ends 2 2, atriangular plate 3, mounted upon the upper side of the base-timberbetween the beveled ends thereof, end timbers 4 i, which are connectedby lap-joints with the under side of the base-timber 1 at the endsthereof, the upper sides of said end timbers being flush with thebeveled ends of the base-timber and with the sides of the triangularplate 3, and top timbers 6 6, the ends of which abut upon each otherdirectly above the apex of the triangular plate, said top members beingsupported upon the sides of said plate, upon the beveled ends of thebase-timber, and upon the upper sides of the end timbers, as shown.Auxiliary reinforcing-timbers are disposed under the ends of the endtimbers &, as shown at 7. The timbers entering into the construction ofthe chords are all united firmly together by means of tie-bolts 8, ofwhich any desired number may be used at suitable distances apart. Thechords are supported at their ends upon the abutments A, only one ofwhich appears in the drawings, it being understood that the end of thechords (not shown) is to be similarly supported.

By the construction of the chords just described a bridge-span ofconsiderable length may be made which will be of great strength andcapable of resisting very heavy strains, the said chords being arched tosome extent owing to the peculiar construction set forth, whereby theends of the base-beam are beveled on their upper sides and thetriangular plate is used to support the abutting ends of the toptimbers.

Supported centrally upon the chords directly upon the abutting ends ofthe top memhere 6 are uprights 9 9, connected by a cap- To all 111710711it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES BRYANT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Littleton, in the county of Arapahoe and State of Colorado,have invented a new and useful Bridge, of which the following is aspecification. v

This invention relates to bridges; and it has 5 for its object tosimplify and reduce the cost of construction of the same.

"ith these ends in view the invention consists in a bridge constructedmaterially or j principally of wooden timbers, the same being assembledtogether by means of the necessary bolts and tie-rods in such a manneras to present a durable and efficient bridge capable of resisting heavystrains.

The invention further consists, in the combination with the bridgeproper, of suspension-cables whereby the bridge shall be partlysupported, said suspension-cables cooperating with the end piers orabutments to support the bridge structure and to enable it to resiststrains.

The invention further consists in the improved construction and novelarrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fullydescribed, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferred:form of embodiment of the invention, it being, however, understood thatno limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural detailstherein exhibited, but that the right is rei served to any changes,alterations, and modilications to which recourse may be had within thescope of the invention and without departing from the spirit orsacrificing the efficiency of the same.

in said drawings, Figure l is a plan view of a bridge structureconstructed in accordance with the principles of the invention andshowing somewhat more than one-half of a bridge, it being understoodthat the construction of the end of the bridge which does not appear inthe drawings is identical with that which has been shown. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal vertical sectional view. Fig. 3 is a beam 10, which extendsbeyond said uprights and is connected therewith by diagonal braces 11.Supported transversely under the chords is a frame-timber 12, the endsof which are spaced from the ends of the cap-beam 10 by means ofuprights 13, tie-rods 14 and plates 15 being used to connect thecap-plate 10 with the transverse beam 12, so as to support the latterwithout weakening either of the beams by perforations or bolt-holes. InFig. 3 of the drawings six pairs of tie-rods have been illustrated; butit is to beunderstood that a greater or lesser number may be used, asmaybe found desirable and appropriate. Supported upon the ends of thechords directly above the abutments are uprights 16, the upper ends ofwhich are inclined slightly in the direction of the center of thebridge.

17 and 18 areobliquely-disposed timbers the upper ends of which areconnected with the uprights 16 and 9, respectively, and the lower endsof which rest upon the chords in proximity to each other. Under theconstruction shown the upper end of the timber 17 is supported on top ofthe timber 16, while the upper end of the timber 18 abuts upon the sideof the upright 9. Upon the upper ext-remities of the timbers 16 aremounted V-shaped cap-plates 19, provided at their apexes with flanges20. These cap-plates are of sufficient dimensions to cover the jointsbetween the timbers l7 and uprights 16, as will be clearly seen in Figs.2 and 4. Tie-rods 21, disposed approximately parallel to the timbers 17,connect the outer ends of the cap-plates 19 with tie-plates 22,supported upon bolsters 23, bearing against the under sides of thechords. Tie-rods 24 are likewise disposed approximately parallel to thetimbers 18, the ends of said tie-rods engaging tie-plates 25, restingagainst the outer ends of the bolsters 23, and tie-plates 26, supportedupon the upper ends of the timbers 18, which lean upon the oppositesides of the uprights 9. It will be readily seen that by tightening thesaid tie-rods the inclined beams or braces 18 will be forced to grip theuprights 9 with great tenacity. Tie-rods 27 are also used to connect thecap-plates 19 with tie-plates 28 at the ends of the chords, saidtie-rods 27 being disposed adjacent to the uprights 16. Truss-bars 29are supported upon the inclined or diagonal beams 17 18, and struts 3O31 32 are interposed between the said truss-bars, the inclined beams 1718, and the chords, said struts being bound in place by means of pairsof tie-rods 33, 34, and 35.

It'will be observed that by the construction which has been thus fardescribed a structure is provided which is constructed mainly of timberand which while comparatively very light is so thoroughly trussed andreinforced as to impart to it great strength and power of resistance.The chords are connected at suitable intervals by transverse timbers,such as shown at 36, which are suitably supported thereby and which arefor the purpose of supporting the stringers 37, upon which the flooringof the foot-walks 38 and the roadway or carriage-way 39 is laid, saidflooring being of planking or other suitable material.

It is obvious that the relative dimensions of the passage-ways may bemodified to any desired extent. It is also obvious that the number ofchords in the bridge may be increased, especially when the latter is tobe of considerable width.

To assist in supporting the bridge, suspension-cables 40 are employed,said cables passing through slots 41 in the uprights 9, through slots 42in the inclined brace-beams 18, and through eyes or openings 43 in thecap-plates 19, the ends of the cables being made fast to deadmen 43 wellburied in the soil at a suitable distance from the upper parts.Suspension-rods 44 are provided at suitable intervals, saidsuspension-rods being provided at their upper ends with eyes 45,engaging the cables. and the lower ends of said suspension-rods beingextended through vertical perforations in the chords, their lowerextremities being screw-threaded and provided with nuts and washerswhereby they may be drawn taut. It will be evident that by theemployment of these suspension cables and rods the. strength of thebridge and its power to resist strains will be greatly multiplied.

Suitably connected with the flanges 20 of the cap-plates 19 are yokes47, which are connected by means of link-rods 48 with anchorplates 49,which are well buried in the ground at suitable distances from the upperparts. The linkrods 48 include turnbuckles 50, whereby they may betightened to any desired degree of tension.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawingshereto annexed, the advantages of my improved bridge construction willbe readily understood by those skilled in the art to which itappertains. In this construction the use of material is economized notonly with a view of effecting a material saving in the expense, but moreparticularly for the purpose of lightening the structure, at the sametime the parts entering into the construction are so thoroughly unitedand braced together as to present a structure of very great strength andcapable of supporting a very heavy weight in proportion to the sizethereof. The suspension-cables, it will be observed, are utilizedwithout the necessity of providing special towers or structures fortheir support, and at the same time they will be found extremelyefi'ective not merely in supporting weights placed upon the bridge, butthe strain or weight of the bridge itself. The general construction isnot costly and may be carried out without the use of special skilledlabor.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In a bridge,the herein-described longitudinal members or chords each of said chordsbeing composed of a base-timber having beveled ends, a triangular plat-esupported upon said base-timber, end timbers connected with the ends ofthe base-timber by lap-joints, the upper sides of said end timbers beingflush with the beveled ends of the base-timber at the sides of thetriangular plate, and top timbers supported upon said plate, base-timberand end timbers with ends abutting upon each other directly above theapex of the plate, the several members being connected by connectingmeans at suitable intervals.

2. in a bridge, the herein-described longitudinal members or compoundchords including triangular center plates, and top and end beamsdisposed parallel to the sides of said triangular plates.

3. In a bridge, the herein-described longitudinal members or compoundchords including triangular center plates whereby the central portionsof the chords are elevated above the ends, in combination with uprightssupported centrally upon said chords, a cap-beam supported upon saiduprights, a transverse beam disposed below the chords, and tie-rods andplates connecting said transverse beam with the cap-beam and supportingit therefrom.

4;. In a bridge, the herein-described longitudinal members or compoundchords having central raised portions and top beams centrally abuttingupon each other, uprights supported upon the abutting ends of the topbeams, a cap-beam supported by said uprights, a beam disposedtransversely under the chords in the vertical plane of the capbeam,tie-rods and plates connecting said capbeam with the transverse beam andsupporting the latter, and spacing-beams interposed between the ends ofthe capbeam and the transverse beam.

5. In a bridge, the herein-described longitudinal members or compoundchords having central raised portions, uprights supported thereon, acap-beam supported upon said uprights, a transverse beam below thechords, means for suspending said transverse beam from the cap-beam,inclined braces abutting upon the uprights, uprights supported upon theends of the chords, inclined beams supported upon said uprights andmeeting the inclined beams abutting upon the center uprights, tie-rodsto secure said inclined beams and uprights, truss-beams supported uponthe inclined beams, and struts and tie-rods between said truss-beam,inclined beams and chords.

6. Ina bridge, the chords, uprights supported centrally thereon,uprights supported upon the ends of the chords, inclined beams supportedupon the latter uprights and upon the chords, inclined beams supportedupon the central uprights and upon the chords, V-shaped caps havingupwardly-extending flanges supported upon the ends of the inclined beamsabove the end uprights, and tie-rods disposed adjacent to the severaluprights and inclined beams and serving to connect the same togetherwith each other and with the chords.

7. In a bridge, the chords, central uprights supported thereon, acap-beam supported by said uprights, a transverse beam below the chords,tie-rods connecting said transverse beam with the cap-beam,suitably-disposed braces and tie-rods including uprights supported uponthe ends of the chords and braces resting upon said uprights, V- shapedcapplates upon said braces above the end uprights, said cap-plateshaving perforated flanges, cables extendingth rough said perforatedflanges, through slots in the center uprights and the zuljacentinclinedbraces, and having their ends connected with deadmen, and hookedsuspension -rods engaging said cables, extending through perforations inthe chords and provided with tightening-1mts and washers.

8. In a bridge, the chords, uprights supported centrally upon saidchords, a cap-beam connocting said uprights, a beam disposedtransversely below the chords, tie-rods connecting said transverse beamwith the cap-beam, uprights supported upon the ends of the chords,diagonal beams supported upon the end and the central uprights and,adjacent to each other, upon the chords, reinforcing truss-beams, strutsand tie-rods, V-shaped caps supported upon diagonal beams above the enduprights and having perforated flanges, cables supported by saidcap-plates, extending through slots in the center uprights and theadjacent diagonal beams and having their ends connected with deadmenembedded in the soil at a distance from their abutments, suspension-rodsengaging the cables, extending through perforations in the chords andhaving tighteningnuts and washers, anchors embedded in the soil at adistance from their abutments, and link-rods, including turnbueklesconnecting said anchors with the cap-plates.

In testimony that 1 claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

(1H A RL IDS BRYANT.

\Vitnesses:

E. U. STER'IIE, \V. C. STERNE.

